Supervisor

We are so relieved to see the sun shining on a Friday, after two weeks of wet, crummy weather for our Concert Series. I hope to see you this evening at 7PM for a great show at Louis Engel Park featuring Cuboricua-- I know I will have my dancing shoes on tonight!

Next Friday night (September 1st) will be the last of our *official* concert series-- The Old Mill Singers will round out our summer with some great tunes from their "Vinyl Revival" showcase. Come on down NEXT Friday night to take a fun trip through the decades with The Old Mill Singers.

The good news is that while the official concert series ends next Friday, we are excited to hear of two upcoming fundraisers which will utilize the stage at Engel Park as well, plus we are hoping to announce, soon, the rain date for Marc Berger & Ride. On Saturday night, September 9th, Jigsaw will play a benefit concert in memory of Phil Ishmael, the beloved Ossining coach who passed away last year. And we just got word that an Ossining High School student organization, Junior State of America (JSA) will host a fundraiser concert with student performances on Saturday, September 16th from 6-8:30PM. So let’s hope for more of this beautiful weather to help us continue to enjoy great music in an incredible setting, and support great causes as well.

We got some exciting news in Ossining this week, when it was announced that the Village of Ossining has been awarded $1.4 million from the federal Environmental Protection Agency through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) which will be used towards the replacement of 3000 linear feet of water main at Gordon Avenue in the Unincorporated Area of the Town. This project was scheduled to move forward no matter what, but the Ossining water system (which is paid into by all Village of Ossining and Unincorporated Town residents through their water bill) will now be reimbursed for the expense. I want to extend special thanks to Congresswoman Nita Lowey for her support on this important project, and offer my congratulations and appreciation to Water Superintendent Andy Tiess and the Village administration for working to secure this grant-- it is truly for the betterment of all of Ossining.

(As an aside-- please be advised that at the end of September, the Ossining water department will be flushing hydrants throughout the Town and Village. See the announcement below for more information-- it applies to Town hydrants too.)

During your travels around Ossining, you may have seen some signboards along the sides of Route 9A announcing some anticipated delays coming up. The NYS Department of Transportation will be working on replacement of a culvert at the intersection of Route 9A and Route 134/ Croton Dam Road beginning on Monday, September 11th, which will cause the west side of Route 134/Croton Dam Road to be closed for up to one week and traffic to be detoured (we will share the detour plan with you as soon as we receive it). Admittedly, being the second week of school, this is not an ideal time for this work to take place and we did everything we could to work with the State and get them to begin work sooner. However, I am happy to share with you that this work has been on the docket for many years and is finally coming to fruition. Even better, while the road is opened up, the Town Highway Department will have the opportunity to replace a stormwater pipe underneath the road without having to open it up ourselves. Once complete, this will be a win-win for everyone and we very much look forward to getting it underway. (Speaking of traveling, Metro North has now made their "Mileposts" pamphlet available online-- check out the August edition here and get up to speed on activities taking place around our area.)

As we all prepare to move into the last "official" week of summer and say hello to the month of September, please keep your eyes peeled for your school tax bill in the mail on or before August 31st. Although many residents have their taxes paid directly by their mortgage servicer, the due date for all property owners to pay is September 30th— since the 30th is a Saturday, all payments must be received by the Town Tax Office by close of business on Monday, October 2nd. If a payment arrives after the due date, we must treat it as though it had been paid on the date of receipt, unless it has a valid US postmark demonstrating otherwise (electronic postage doesn’t count!) The second installment is due by January 30th, 2018 and you will not receive another reminder by mail (although, I would encourage you to sign up for Holly’s email reminders if you would like a heads up in January--- you can do so here.) Did you know that you can pay your tax bill online? It's quick and easy, and best of all, you are provided with a receipt of submission. Visit the Tax Receiver's page for more information on using Xpress Pay. Of course, you can always send your check by mail (make sure you leave enough time!) or bring your payment to the Town Tax Office (3rd Floor of 16 Croton Avenue) in person.

Our Parks crew moved into Cedar Lane Park this week to continue work on the Cedar Lane Pavilion, which is going to get a similar treatment (drainage and paving) to the work they completed at Ryder Park earlier this summer. (Have you had a chance yet to fill out our pdf
CLAC survey
(617 KB)? Please let us know how Cedar Lane Arts Center can better meet your needs!) The work at Cedar Lane will "pave" the way (pun intended) for our next big event at the park, scheduled for October 27th and 28th. Although Halloween seems a long way away (especially on a gorgeous day like this), we are hard at work preparing for this year's Forest O' Fears, the annual spooky hayride through Cedar Lane Park. In past years, this event has been run by the Ossining Historic Cemeteries Conservancy, but for the first time in 2017, we brought the project in house, although our "Ghoul Friday" Fern Quezada is still running the show. Be sure to mark your calendar for this exciting event, which will take place on two nights this year. Ticket prices will increase after September 15th, so log on now to get the early bird discount on this family event in Ossining-- the hayride itself is geared towards children ages 10 and up, but there will be activities for children of all ages.

Do you know any aspiring set designers, actors or anyone who just plain loves Halloween? We are still looking for folks to build scenes, create costumes, and show off their acting chops in some scary scenes.

If your dance moves are a little dusty but you are still looking for some fun tonight, the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club will host Village of Ossining Historian Dana White this evening for "Ossining's River History." Get there at 7PM for refreshments, the program begins at 7:30PM. If you have ever heard one of Dana's presentations before, you know this is not to be missed. (If you are still citing "dusty dance moves", you've officially lost your excuse! Sue Radparvar of Ossining's Studio 95 will be hosting a free Zumba class on Saturday, August 26th at 3PM at Louis Engel Park as part of our Mind, Body, Spirit Ossining program. Check it out and learn some fresh moves to work on for next year's Summer Concert Series.)

Check out some of the other events coming up around Ossining over the next few weeks.

I also want to draw your attention to two very special events coming up in September. On Monday, September 11th, please join us for the annual Ossining and Briarcliff Manor 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Louis Engel Park, beginning at 7PM. This is always an incredibly touching event and a fitting reminder of all of the civilians and brave first responders we lost on that fateful day sixteen years ago, as well as all of our first responders who selflessly put their lives on the line for us each day.

In addition, The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department has been chosen to host the 11th Annual Westchester County Volunteer Fireman’s Association Convention, which will culminate in a Fireman’s Parade on Saturday, September 16th at 1PM. The parade will start on Pleasantville Road and head down to Law Park, where the marchers and onlookers will be met by a live band. We look forward to celebrating this great honor with the Village of Briarcliff Manor next month.

As a reminder, the Town Board will not be meeting next week, and our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 5th at 16 Croton Avenue, where we will hold a Work Session and a Special Meeting to re-open the Public Hearing on the most recent iteration of our Zoning Law. I hope you will visit us or tune in as we all get back to our regular schedules. Enjoy the last week before school starts, everybody! And, once those school buses hit the road, be sure to slow down and be courteous-- our little guys are excited to get back to school and we're counting on you to look out for them!